In a bracket which saw nearly 3,500 total votes cast over four rounds of voting, 16 of the top moments and achievements over the last year have been pared down to just one, as the men’s tennis victory over UIC at the Horizon League Championship has been tabbed the Best of Valpo Athletics for the 2013-2014 season.

Bowling and men's tennis both scored convincing wins in the semifinals of Valpo Athletics' Best of 2013-2014. The two programs will now meet in the Championship Round with the polls now open! Cast your vote to determine the winner of this inaugural contest!

With exactly 900 ballots cast in last week's quarterfinal vote, Valpo's Best of 2013-2014 is down to four. Today we unveil the first of two semifinal matches in the accompanying video. Fans can begin casting their ballots now!

Fifteen student-athletes across five sports were recognized by the league office Wednesday. Men's golf led the way for Valpo with four representatives, while baseball, and men's and women's outdoor track and field each boasted three.

Like any good bracket, the first round of the Best of Valpo Athletics 2013-2014 bracket featured some tight battles and some potentially surprising victors. With over 300 votes cast, click inside to see the first-round winners as the 16 get cut down to 8, and cast your votes in the quarterfinal round now!

The Valparaiso University Alumni Association invites all alumni, as well as their families and friends, to U.S. Cellular Field on Saturday, July 5 at 1:10 p.m. as the Chicago White Sox host the Seattle Mariners, managed by former Crusader baseball standout Lloyd McClendon. Valparaiso men’s basketball head coach Bryce Drew will be throwing out the ceremonial first pitch before the game.

First-round matchups are now open for voting for the Best of Valpo Athletics for the 2013-2014 school year! Click into the story to see descriptions of all 16 nominees and scroll to the bottom of the page to vote and help narrow the top moments, performances and plays of the past year from 16 down to 1.

Valparaiso student-athletes continue to excel in the classroom, as 118 Crusaders earned a spot on the Horizon League Spring 2014 Academic Honor Roll, as released today by the league office. The 118 honorees are the most the Crusaders have had in a single semester since joining the league.

Fans, over the next month, you'll have a chance to look back at some of the top moments, performances and plays from the last year and narrow the field, bracket-style, from 16 to 1 - choosing the Best of Valpo Athletics for the 2013-2014 school year! Round one matchups will start later this week.

Construction has begun on Valparaiso University’s new track and field facility, as Valpo breaks ground on the eight-lane Warren G. Hoger Track at Brown Field, part of a wholesale reevaluation of the campus’ athletics and recreation facilities as outlined in the Campus Master Plan.

The Crusader Fund, in conjunction with the Athletics Department and Office of Alumni Relations, invites all fans to join Valpo head coaches in participating in the inaugural Crusader Fund Coaches Classic - a day of golf at the Course at Aberdeen capped with dinner at Strongbow Inn - on Friday, June 20.

Fans, for the first time, you can watch the Valparaiso athletic department's annual awards show, the ARC Awards, live online this Sunday evening! Streaming of the sixth annual ARC Awards begins Sunday night at 7:30 p.m.

Fans, the athletic department's sixth annual ARC Awards will be held on Sunday, May 4, and for the first time, you have a say in an award! Voting is open through Tuesday at noon for the Performance of the Year, so vote now, and then watch the ARC Awards Sunday night at 7:30 p.m. on the Horizon League Network!

Valparaiso assistant women's basketball coach Katie Loosvelt was among the participants in the infamous 2013 Boston Marathon. On the anniversary of its running, she talked about the surreal experience - and how a late jolt of determination may have literally saved her life.

Valpo's 4th annual St. Baldrick's fundraiser accumulated over $41,000 to fund research for cures for childhood cancers, a new university record. 80 heads were shaved in a half-hour, with over 100 heads shaved in total. The event was especially important to women's soccer player Jordyn Ryfiak. Click the video to find out why.

Valparaiso University awarded 132 student-athletes with Presidential Academic Honors while also handing out the Laurel Award at the 21st Annual Student-Athletes Academic Honors Banquet held on Sunday evening in the Christopher Center.

As part of Valparaiso University’s “Proud to Be Valpo” Day of Giving last week, the athletics department held the first-ever Athletics Alumni Challenge, and the response was tremendous, as 325 former Valpo student-athletes donated upwards of $41,000 to the athletics department. The football and men’s tennis programs each won a $5,000 challenge grant, boasting the greatest number of alumni to make a gift and the highest percentage of alumni to make a gift, respectively.

The Valparaiso men's soccer program's annual St. Baldrick's fundraiser reached new heights this year, raising nearly $45,000 to fund research for cures for childhood cancers. 80 heads were shaved in a 30-minute span, with over 100 heads shaved in total. Check out the video for a taste of the event.

This year's St. Baldrick's Fundraiser is just two days away. With over $30,000 raised so far, the Valpo men's soccer program is more than 60% of the way to its goal of $50,000. Click on the video to hear part one of women's soccer player Jordyn Ryfiak's story.

Longtime Valparaiso director of sports medicine and head athletic trainer Rod Moore, ATC was presented the Golden Pinnacle Award at the Great Lakes Athletic Trainers' Association (GLATA) annual meeting on Friday. The Golden Pinnacle Award, which recognizes those members who have provided outstanding leadership to GLATA, is the highest honor a member of GLATA can receive.

Men's swimming senior Tate Wegehaupt (Tigard, Ore./Tigard) and women's track and field junior Jazmin Taylor (Rock Island, Ill./Rock Island) have been named the Valparaiso athletic department's Athletes of the Month for the month of February.

Six individuals will be inducted into the Valparaiso Athletics Hall of Fame Saturday morning at the annual Hall of Fame banquet as the Class of 2014, the 17th class in Hall of Fame history. The inductees will also be recognized at halftime of the Crusaders' men's basketball game at 3 p.m. that afternoon.

Men's basketball senior Lavonte Dority (Chicago, Ill./Foreman [USF]) and women's track and field senior Sarah Drozdowski (Roselle, Ill./Lake Park) have been named the Valparaiso athletic department's Athletes of the Month for the month of January.

Valparaiso student-athletes continue to excel in the classroom, as 117 Crusaders earned a spot on the Horizon League Fall 2013 Academic Honor Roll, as released today by the league office. The 117 honorees marked the most the Crusaders have had in a single semester since joining the league.

The #1 moment from the year in Valpo Athletics in 2013: Ryan Broekhoff's buzzer-beating 3-pointer to beat Green Bay in the Horizon League Championship semifinals! See all of the top 10 moments inside the story.

Crusader fans, you can now easily keep tabs on upcoming events for all the Valpo teams, as thanks to Valpo's partnership with ECAL, fans are able to download any or all of the Crusaders' schedules to their personal calendar program, their smart phone or tablet and even Facebook!

Six individuals will be inducted into the Valparaiso University Athletics Hall of Fame on Saturday, Feb. 22. Rachel Janssen, Brittany Malicoat , Amanda Meyer, Dave Newnam, Dr. Jon Steinbrecher and John Wolfenberg comprise the 17th class in Hall of Fame history.

Head coach Brian Schmack and his team begin a week-long trip to the Dominican Republic today. The journey includes community service time with local children at orphanage, games against Dominican & MLB farm teams.

In addition to raising the basketball banners, director of athletics Mark LaBarbera presented rings to the baseball, softball, and men's golf Championship teams from 2012-2013 at the season opener versus Murray State.

Now an assistant coach at Valparaiso, Roger Powell Jr. returns to Champaign Wednesday where he helped the Fighting Illini make history nine seasons ago. See what Powell Jr. had to say about his bittersweet return to Illinois, the evolution of his spiritual life, and his future in coaching.

Junior Jessica Richardson's name is all over the women's cross-country record books. Her academic numbers are even more remarkable. Check that out along with her rigorous training routine in this week's special edition of Inside Valpo Athletics.

The Valparaiso University Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) will be raising money for the American Cancer Society at home events throughout the next couple weeks as part of its Breast Cancer Awareness Week.

The junior wide receiver and senior goalkeeper were selected as Student-Athletes of the Month for September. Gladney caught four touchdowns and recorded 437 receiving yards. Manski added four shutouts and 38 saves to an already prolific career.

Attention students! If you think you have what it takes to be the next Crusader, then this is your chance. Tryouts to be the Crusader Mascot will be on Thursday, Oct. 3, 6 - 8 p.m., in the Athletics-Recreation Center.

Valparaiso director of athletics Mark LaBarbera announced today that David Huseman will join the Valpo Sports Radio Network as executive producer. Huseman will also join the voice of the Crusaders, Todd Ickow, to provide color commentary for home football and men's basketball games.

Valparaiso University director of athletics Mark LaBarbera and vice president for advancement Lisa Hollander proudly announce that associate athletic director Dr. Homer Drew will serve as the volunteer Chair of the Crusader Fund for the 2013-14 academic year.